Stunning 'Ice mushrooms' sculptured from ice have suddenly appeared on a frozen reservoir in Siberia.
At first the weird phenomenon - which has become a tourist attraction - puzzled experts.
The striking shapes are seen growing on the upper trunks of trees that were submerged after a dam serving the new giant Niznhe-Bureyskaya hydro power station came into operation in 2017.
Now scientists say there is an explanation for the 'magic' ice mushrooms at the reservoir in Amur region.
The level of the water in the reservoir rises and falls over its vast area of the artificial lake which has a 156 ft dam (47,5 metre) which is 2,455 ft long (748 metre).
As it lowers, the ice cover falls, with the 'ice fungus' forming on the trees - but their distinctive shape is also sculpted by the Siberian winds blowing across the water.
Senior wildlife official Andrey Tarasov said: 'The so-called 'mushrooms' are half man-made, and the rest is a natural phenomenon.
'When a hydroelectric plant discharges water, the level of the reservoir changes dramatically.
'The water lowers.
'In winter trees in the flooded areas have solid chunks of ice stuck to them, sometimes quite oddly shaped….
'And then comes the work of the wind.'
This 'brings the "mushrooms" to perfection, trimming them and giving the appearance of ice sculptures,' Mr Tarasov said.
The formations can be 'as tall as a man'.
The odd formations are attracting visitors to a nature park at the reservoir, some 125 miles (200km) from Blagoveshchensk, reported The Siberian Times.
At first the weird phenomenon - which has become a tourist attraction - puzzled experts.
The striking shapes are seen growing on the upper trunks of trees that were submerged after a dam serving the new giant Niznhe-Bureyskaya hydro power station came into operation in 2017.
Now scientists say there is an explanation for the 'magic' ice mushrooms at the reservoir in Amur region.
The level of the water in the reservoir rises and falls over its vast area of the artificial lake which has a 156 ft dam (47,5 metre) which is 2,455 ft long (748 metre).
As it lowers, the ice cover falls, with the 'ice fungus' forming on the trees - but their distinctive shape is also sculpted by the Siberian winds blowing across the water.
Senior wildlife official Andrey Tarasov said: 'The so-called 'mushrooms' are half man-made, and the rest is a natural phenomenon.
'When a hydroelectric plant discharges water, the level of the reservoir changes dramatically.
'The water lowers.
'In winter trees in the flooded areas have solid chunks of ice stuck to them, sometimes quite oddly shaped….
'And then comes the work of the wind.'
This 'brings the "mushrooms" to perfection, trimming them and giving the appearance of ice sculptures,' Mr Tarasov said.
The formations can be 'as tall as a man'.
The odd formations are attracting visitors to a nature park at the reservoir, some 125 miles (200km) from Blagoveshchensk, reported The Siberian Times.
Music: "Universal" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: Daily Mail, Siberian Times
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